Chapter Twenty-Eight
Emma peered at him through the crack in the door. Through the narrow space, he couldn’t read her expression, and he hated that.
Thank god he’d insisted the biddies stay downstairs. They were probably driving the security guy crazy by now. But he didn’t need to see the whole of her face to know she was more than a little freaked out.
She blinked once, then twice, before she spoke. “How did you know where I was?”
“Aniyah told me. This was her idea.” He released his hand from the door.
It was promptly pushed shut. Muffled Christmas music filtered out from under the door.
He caught his reflection in the glossy surface.
Perhaps this was for the best. He’d tried.
She wasn’t receptive. He stood there, rapidly losing hope, before the door unlatched and came fully open.
“Well, you came all this way. You should come in.” She stepped to the side. They brushed against one another as he passed into the apartment.
He cast a quick look around as Emma came behind him to close the door. This place was as sterile as a doctor’s office. Save the random bits of colorful Christmas decorations thrown around. Even the Christmas music she was playing was quirky, a playlist titled Vintage Weirdo Christmas.
That was all Emma. She was a maximalist stuck in a minimalist’s world. He hated that she’d been stifled for so long. Even if he never saw her again after tonight, he wanted the best for her.
“Davis isn’t here, right?”
She locked the door behind them. “No. He’s in Vail, Aspen, or one of those hoity-toity ski resorts in Colorado. I didn’t care enough to ask for clarification.”
She stood by the door, arms folded. Somehow, she was still slightly intimidating, even given her pajamas dotted with quotes from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
“I guess I won’t pussyfoot around things. Aniyah told me what happened with Davis, how he’s asking you for money. That’s why you left, isn’t it?”
She rubbed her hands along her forearms as if she’d caught a chill just by talking about the man.
“He told me he’d reduce the amount I owed if I paid him by the end of the year. He’s letting me stay here while I figure things out. I’ll pay him before I go.”
It broke his heart that she had given up so easily. But he understood the shame she must be feeling. The need to fix the problem on her own, because asking for help was too overwhelming.
“Jeez, what a generous guy. Someone should carve his likeness out of marble or something.”
When Emma said nothing, he carried on. “I could’ve helped you, Emma. Firstly, by telling you that dickhead Davis can itemize every expense that he wants. It doesn’t mean you owe him anything. Unless you had a written agreement?”
She brushed past him on the way to the kitchen. “We didn’t. But I just want to be done with him. I know he’ll probably try to sue me just for shits and giggles. He’ll draw this out for months, just to torture me.”
He watched as she opened the microwave, frowned, and closed it again. “No gravy in the world is gonna save that sad display,” she said.
“You still don’t have to pay him, Emma. You have options. I could’ve helped. Aniyah said—”
“I never should’ve told her anything. I knew she’d get involved somehow. I just didn’t think like this. She should become an honorary member of the biddies.”
He let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, about them. They’re all downstairs.”
Her eyes boggled. “You brought them with you?”
He shrugged. “It was my mom’s idea. Once they get an idea in their heads, it’s kind of impossible to stop it.”
She shook her head. “Look, Caleb. I appreciate you coming up here on Christmas Eve, of all days. But I think we both got caught up in a fantasy world. Being back in the city has brought me back to reality.”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes. It was as if she knew what she was saying wasn’t true.
“If you’re saying Falling Leaves is a fantasy world, you clearly haven’t spent enough time there.”
She cracked a smile at that. “You know what I mean. I guess I should be thankful to Davis, in a way. He brought me back to earth. Made me realize I can’t rely on anyone but myself.”
“By attempting to extort you when you wouldn’t get back with him? Come on, Emma. We both know that’s all bullshit. You could have something in Falling Leaves. Even if it’s not with me, your business idea is fantastic. You’d have the whole town’s support.”
He wanted to bring her into his arms. To comfort her, to show her that she was no longer alone.
Neither of them had to do things on their own anymore. They just had to be brave enough to lean on one another.
She shook her head sadly. “Look what happened the last time I thought I could depend on someone. He’s threatening to sue me. I just…” She turned away from him. “I can’t take that risk again. I’m terrified. I’d rather rely on myself than anyone else.”
He said nothing. He couldn’t imagine the betrayal and fear she must be feeling now. There was no gentle platitude he could say to convince her.
He had to show her.
He walked around so he was facing her. She wiped at her face. There was no mistaking the tears staining her cheeks. She looked up at him. “You should go. If you leave now, you can maybe make the tail end of your family celebrations.”
His phone dinged with a series of texts. “I’m not missing anything.” He showed her his phone. “Everyone is invested in this…in you, Emma. We’ve only known you a couple of weeks, but that’s long enough to know we love you.”
Her mouth parted. “Love? Like…for real? That just doesn’t seem possible.”
Maybe his mouth told a truth his heart wasn’t quite ready to hear. But he didn’t regret his words. “I’ve never felt like this before, Emma. I’m not the type to make bold declarations like this. You can ask the biddies if you want. They’re probably on their way up here, anyway.”
She let out a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a cry. “You really mean it, don’t you? You want me to stay, even if things didn’t work out between us? I’d be right next door, Caleb.”
He took a step toward her, his hands coming to her face. “I’m not saying it would be easy. But you deserve this chance, Emma. And I’m not so selfish that I wouldn’t want you to have it if things didn’t work out between us.”
The thing was, he had that feeling in his gut that told him Emma was it. He could see a life with her by his side, sprawling out ahead of him.
But he couldn’t, no, wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to.
She rested her head against his hand. “It just seems too easy. When Davis showed up, it brought me back to reality. Reminded me that I didn’t deserve to have this kind of dream come true.”
“Fuck Davis,” Caleb said. “You deserve this, Emma. You deserve the whole world.”
Their eyes met. She placed her hand on top of his. “So, you’ll have me? Even though I’m a mess?”
“It’ll be our mess, then. I meant what I said, Emma. I love you. I’m here if you want me to be. The rest will come later. The business, our relationship, melding our families… This is the hardest part, Em. Once you say yes, I have a sneaking suspicion everything else is going to fall into place.”
She closed her eyes, keeping her hand on top of his. Caleb’s heart thrummed in his chest. It hadn’t been more than a few seconds since he’d stopped speaking. It felt like years. Like time had slowed down, because she was with him.
She was home.
After a long moment, her eyes reopened. “I’m in it if you are.”
Before she could utter another breath, he swept her into his arms. Their mouths found each other just as the doorbell began to ring.
They broke apart, laughing. “I swear, they’ve got to be psychic or something.”
“I guess if I’m choosing you, the biddies are part of the deal?”
He rolled his eyes. “I promise they leave me alone most of the time.”
She stole another kiss. “Better let them in, then, huh?”
He held her close for just another moment. “In a minute.”
As they stood intertwined, Caleb had never been surer about anything in his life. This woman was his future.